Airplanes with party rooms, suitcases that tell you where they are…these are not scenes from a sci-fi movie but might be the reality of your travel experiences in the not so distant future. Read on as our UNIGLOBE experts give you a glimpse into the future of travel all set to become more pleasant on the back of technological advancements and innovation.

Airports

Bigger planes, the need for flexible and efficient security screening and the ability to accommodate the increased time passengers spend in terminals will be the key factors driving airport design. Biometrics may replace your driver’s license. The Internet of Things will come to bag tags. Smart luggage tags with real-time tracking that may allow travelers to pinpoint the location of their suitcases in baggage claim while smartphone-activated digital bag tags will eliminate paper.

Planes

Cabins may end up looking and feeling more welcoming, eliminating traditional first, business and economy classes in favor of areas to relax, play games or hold meetings. Airplanes may board from the middle, with wider aisles that taper at the nose and tail to allow two-way passenger traffic.

Once you’re at your seat, you may be welcomed with personalized messages, printed in-flight magazine that featured bespoke content for each passenger and magazines based on information gleaned from Facebook during the ticket purchase process.

Hotels

The hotel room of the future may have completely wired rooms in which every selection, from the TV to the drapes to the temperature, will be controlled via tablet computer, with custom-fit drawers, content labeled cabinet and closet. There may be rooms where guests can control room temperature, lighting, alarms and even coffee-making via their own mobile phones, smart lighting that automatically illuminates a path to the bathroom when guests get up in the middle of the night, as well as lighting options that will enable jet-lagged travelers to adjust their circadian rhythms.

Gear

App controlled smart suitcases with a digital lock and proximity sensor, location tracking, digital scale and built-in phone charger, a wired wheelie bag with a built-in scale, inside lighting and speaker system, fingerprint-triggered lock and phone charger, all this and more might be in store for you.